Miguel Azeez has had to remain patient since joining Pompey on loan from Arsenal at the end of August.
The England under-20 international had appeared just twice ahead of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup clash with Harrow at Fratton Park.
But he featured from the start in a 1-0 victory over the Southern League visitors that secured safe passage through to the second round.
Azeez played just behind striker John Marquis and is looking to build on his display and remain in the team.
The midfielder said: “I was really pleased and have been working hard in training in order to get the opportunity.
“Hopefully I can stay in the side and be able to build on this because I’ve been learning a lot – both on and off the pitch.
“I’ll play anywhere, but I enjoyed the role I was given because it allowed me to express myself in an attacking sense.
"I was really pleased and have been working hard in training in order to get the opportunity."
“It means that when we were able to win back possession, I was closer to the goal in order to make an impact.
“I’m enjoying my time here and it’s helped my development as a player, with the mental side just as important as the physical and technical.”
Marcus Harness converted a Mahlon Romeo cut-back to see off the non-league opposition, but the Blues were unable to turn their superior possession into more goals.
Azeez said: “It was a typical FA Cup match and our opponents came to us with a lot of different ideas.
“We tried to play our normal game, but I just felt that in the last third of the pitch, that final action wasn’t there for us.
“I think that’s something that we’re all man enough to understand and so we have to improve it as a team.
“It was a bit frustrating at times because we’d build from the back and work our way through and then the crucial bit was missing.”